How to Write the Perfect Resume for a Job Seeker with Disabilities

By Mary Walton, Simple Grad

Writing a resume is difficult at the best of times, but many job seekers with disabilities come up against many unique obstacles that may, at first, seem difficult to overcome. Recently, the times have changed, especially in the States where the Americans with Disabilities Act now protects you from discrimination in the workplace. Today, we're going to list out and explore a couple of need to know tips and pieces of advice that can help you to write the perfect resume to secure your next interview.

Man with disability interviews for job

Don't Mention Your Disability

The first thing you're going to want to remember is that you don't have to include your disability in your resume if you don't want to. The ADA protects you from being discriminated against in a workplace of more than 15 employees.

Of course, you can mention if you like or if you would like to talk to the employer about special arrangements which they are required to do, but you have no obligation to mention it. Your resume is about securing an interview, not talking about your medical conditions.

Talk About Your Experiences

As with any resume, it's important to talk about and highlight the experiences you've had throughout your career. Try to elaborate on your experiences and the things you've achieved throughout your life and try to match them to the job role that you're applying for. This is a great way to secure an interview.

Don't Forget the Basic Resume Traits

One thing it's vital that you remember is your basic resume writing processes. For example, it's essential that you keep your resume to one page, so it's not too long and bores the recruiter. Likewise, make sure you divide your resume into unique sections with headings, so it's easy to read.

"It's essential that you rewrite and edit your resume to suit the job role that you're applying for. This means editing your resume for every job you're applying for and not just writing a generic, one-resume-fits-all document that guarantees not to secure an interview," shares Charlotte Harrison, a resume writer for UK Writings.

Writing the Perfect Resume

Although not everybody is born to be a writing master, that doesn't have to stop you writing a perfect resume. Here is a list of some online tools and resources you can use to help you with this process:

  • Via Writing – This is a blog full of posts you can use to improve your grammar knowledge.
  • Resume Writing Service – This is a resume building website full of templates and guides you can follow.
  • Boomessays – A professional writing agency full of professional writers who can help you with your resume writing process as recommended by the HuffingtonPost in Write My Essay.
  • State of Writing & My Writing Way – These two blogs are full of writing guides you can follow for a perfectly formatted resume.
  • EliteAssignmentHelp & Big Assignments – These are two online services that can help you to secure and succeed in your interview.
  • Cite It In & Easy Word Count – These are two free online tools you can use to format your resume, add citations and monitor the overall word count.
  • Essayroo – This is an online writing agency that can write your resume for you on your behalf, as reviewed by Best Australian Writers in Essayroo review.
  • Grammarix – This is a free online grammar checker you can use to perfect the language of your resume.

Consider Application Tracking Systems

Nowadays, it's common for recruiters to use applicant tracking systems, since they can receive dozens, if not hundreds, of applications for a single role. To help them narrow down their search, many recruiters use these systems to scan resumes to pick out keywords to see who is suitable for the job.

This means you need to remember to include keywords in your resume that will be scanned and allow your resume to move onto the next stage. The best place to find these keywords is in the job description.

Mentioning Your Disability

In some cases, you'll want to disclose your disability, but you can do this at an appropriate time. For example, if you've set the time and date for your interview, then say to the employer something like, "As I use a wheelchair to move around, can you suggest the most appropriate entrance for me to use?"

This minimizes the risk of discrimination and allows your future employer to know that you'll be coming in a wheelchair. For non-physical disabilities, you simply don't need to mention them unless you need accommodations made for you.

About the Author:

Mary Walton is a copywriter at Australian Dissertation Writing Service. She helps with content management at academic websites like Paper Fellows. As Mary loves writing she created her online blog— Simple Grad, read her Best Essay Writing Services article there.

 

Pre-Register for Abilities Expo Today...It's Free!

Sign up for the Abilities Buzz

Stay in the know on disability news and info.